Heywood Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Rape and Sexual Assault

A Heywood man, Francis Henshaw, aged 42, of Bury New Road, has been sentenced to nine years in prison with a two-year extended licence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault.

The court heard that Henshaw pressured a victim to join him in a back street, where he proceeded to sexually assault her. A member of the public intervened and led the victim away.

Henshaw committed a further offence in December 2022, when he approached a woman on a night out in Rochdale Town Centre. A short time later, he sexually assaulted and raped her in a secluded area.

In addition to his imprisonment, Henshaw has been placed on the sex offender's register for an indefinite period of time, to be reviewed regularly.

Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, of GMP's Rochdale district, said: "Firstly I would like to thank the victims in these awful incidents for their bravery throughout this process. I would also like to thank all of the witnesses who came forward to help us bring about this result."

"Multiple officers and detectives have worked hard on this case and their efforts have ensured that the victims of this case received the justice that they deserved. "Francis' actions were abhorrent, and we welcome this sentence. This is a stark warning to offenders in Greater Manchester – this sort of behaviour will be treated with zero tolerance."